Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34, I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, the report of the Canadian branch of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie and the related financial report.

The report deals with the last meeting of the Political Committee of the APF, held in Nouakchott, Mauritania, from March 6 to 9, 2004.

The purpose of the bill is to recognize the great sacrifice of the men and women who served in Canada's armed forces. The legislation would provide for a military guard of honour to provide the dignity and respect that veterans deserve. Currently, various regiments provide some benefits to their comrades but on an ad hoc basis. The bill would provide recognition for service by a grateful nation.

An advisory council to the Minister of Veterans Affairs recently recommended improved funeral and burial benefits for veterans, so it gives me pleasure to recognize its work and complement its recommendations with this bill.

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-500, an act to amend the Department of Industry Act (outlying regions).

Mr. Speaker, today, I am tabling a bill amending the Department of Industry Act to further promote economic development in outlying regions of Quebec.

In this act, “outlying regions” refers to the following regions of Quebec: Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Nunavik, Nord-du-Québec and James Bay, Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean, Gaspésie, Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Bas-St-Laurent, Côte-Nord and Mauricie.

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-501, an act to amend the Bank Act (branch closures).

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to introduce a bill dealing with the Bank Act and branch closures.

The bill addresses the failure of the Bank Act to provide consumers with meaningful input into decisions by banks to cut off essential financial services by compelling those banks to conduct public consultations before such decisions are made.

This is a national issue that touches communities right across Canada, like my own in north Winnipeg, where Canadians may be left without essential banking services and vulnerable to high interest, unregulated, fringe banking alternatives.

The bill recognizes that banking is an essential service for the day to day functioning of a community and that, as such, decisions to deny access to banking services should include a mechanism for community input.

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-502, an act to amend the Criminal Code (protection of children).

Mr. Speaker, you will recall a few weeks back that a motion was passed in the House indicating that we would present legislation that would remove all defences for the possession, distribution and manufacturing of child pornography.

As the government seems to be a little slow in accomplishing this feat, which we all agreed upon, I am happy to introduce my private member's bill this morning which would do exactly that.

While my bill would remove these defences, it would protect law enforcement officers, doctors, psychiatrists and other bona fide individuals who use this material for medical, educational or law enforcement purposes.

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-503, an act to amend the Citizenship Act.

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to introduce a private members' bill, an act to amend the Citizenship Act.

The bill is designed to remedy an injustice in the Canadian Citizenship Act whereby Canadian children, whose parents renounced their Canadian citizenship between 1946 and 1977, automatically lost their Canadian citizenship through no conscious decision of their own.

Regrettably, amendments to the Citizenship Act of 1977 did not make these individuals citizenship retroactive. My bill would make it possible for these individuals to regain their Canadian citizenship without being established as a permanent resident in order to do so.

Mr. Speaker, I am submitting today a petition signed by residents of the northern village of Quaqtaq, Nunavik.

The federal government, through one of its departments, ordered the killing of Inuit sled dogs from 1950 to 1961 in New Quebec. This government adopted a policy in support of this killing. It did not hold public consultations with the Inuit communities of Nunavik.

Therefore, the petitioners call upon Parliament to commission a public inquiry to shed light on this policy of sled dog killing in New Quebec, that is Nunavik.

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to table a petition signed by thousands of people who are members of the Committee Against Impunity in Guatemala, notably Mary Ellen Davis, Nathalie Brière, Mateo Pablo, who survived a massacre in Guatemala, and a few others.

The petitioners point out that, these last few years, Canada has protected refugees from Guatemala, people who were victims and survivors of genocide, of crimes against humanity and war crimes that took place in Guatemala. They also point out that these refugees have been seeking redress for 36 years, and that impunity reigns in Guatemala.

They are calling for amendments to the Criminal Code that would allow court proceedings in absentia to be held before Canadian courts, the conviction of an individual for an offence committed abroad, and the inclusion of the term “permanent resident” in the Crimes Against Humanity Act.

Mr. Speaker, once again I am pleased to submit the signatures of thousands of people in support of Carley's law.

Whereas hit and run legislation in its current state does not provide an adequate sentence to offenders who leave the scene of an accident; and whereas an accused who has control of a vehicle who fails to stop at the scene of an accident should receive a minimum sentence of seven years for an accident causing death and a minimum of four years for an accident resulting in bodily harm; and whereas prosecutors should not be able to offer those accused of fleeing the scene of an accident the opportunity to plead guilty for an offence with a lesser punishment; the petitioners ask the government assembled in Parliament to vote in favour of Bill C-453, Carley's law, an act to amend the Criminal Code, failure to stop at the scene of an accident.

Mr. Speaker, I have already submitted 25,000 names, and several thousand more today, of Canadian citizens who use alternate medicines, such as supplements and vitamins, for preventive health care. This is kind of a novel idea that we would look after our health before we become sick.

The petitioners think that it is very important and essential to get tax relief on personal income tax returns by means of using receipts from licensed health food stores and not only “as recorded by a pharmacist”, as the government says in the Income Tax Act.

The petitioners are praying that the government will take the necessary steps to change section 118.2(2)(n) of the Income Tax Act.

These are people right across Canada. I say good for them for trying to look after their own health before they get sick and not after.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I have the pleasure to present four petitions from the good people of Haliburton—Victoria—Brock.

One petition prays that Parliament take all necessary measures to protect the rights of Canadians to freely share their religious and moral beliefs without fear of prosecution, which is in regard to the hate motivated attacks, and that promoting hatred toward any person or groups is wrong.

Mr. Speaker, the other three petitions pray that Parliament pass legislation to recognize the institution of marriage in federal law as being a lifelong union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others.

Mr. Speaker, I present a petition that was compiled with signatures from people across eastern Ontario because the federal government has abandoned rural communities under the weight of this urban socialism.

Between gun control, animal control and a bureaucracy that forces regulations on them, they cannot even use their land for farming or woodlots any more. They feel that only by amending Canada's Constitution to include property rights can they enjoy the land and work the land themselves.

Therefore the petitioners call upon the Canadian government to amend the Constitution. Even communist China is taking steps to include property rights in its constitution. Therefore, if communist China can do it why can we not?

Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to present petitions containing over 2,100 names. The petitioners are saying that marriage, as a lasting union of a man and a women to the exclusion of all others, cannot and should not be modified by a legislative act or a court of law.

The petitioners request that Parliament take whatever action is required to maintain the current definition of marriage in law in perpetuity and to prevent any court from overturning or amending the definition.

Mr. Speaker, I have three petitions to present which deal with the same subject. The petitioners calls upon Parliament to take the necessary steps to preserve the definition of marriage as that between a man and a woman.

Mr. Speaker, I have another petition with some 400 signatures on it. The petitioners call upon the House of Commons to take the steps necessary in Parliament to modify legislation to ensure that both parents are able to be actively involved in the life of their children after divorce. Many children are totally separated from one parent or the other.

With respect to the payments of grants and contributions by Industry Canada, including the Canada Economic Development Agency for Quebec, for the 75 federal ridings in Quebec in fiscal years 2000-2001, 2001-2002, 2002-2003 and 2003-2004, can the government provide the following information: ( a ) the name of the recipient organization; ( b ) the date of the payment; ( c ) the amount; ( d ) the name of the program; and ( e ) the federal riding in which the recipient organization is located?